Brendan Lawlor lamented a closing triple bogey after playing what he described as “seventeen perfect holes” but his bid for a first US Adaptive Open title is still in good shape after an opening 71.
Lawlor lies in a share of sixth place on one-under, three shots behind America’s Justin Carlock and his old foe, Kipp Popert of England at Woodmont Country Club.
Starting on the back nine it was a slow opener for Lawlor who dropped a shot on the eleventh but he clicked into gear with birdies on the 12th, 16th and 18th.
The Louth man roared to the summit with birdies on the 4th, 5th and 7th and while a bogey on the 8th was no disaster a closing triple bogey seven on the par-4 9th left a sour taste in the mouth, especially now that he once again has to put up a chase to Popert and Carlock.
Carlock, 31, has lived all his life with a condition that caused his fingers and hands to fuse differently, though it didn’t stop him from playing competitively at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo. He is a newcomer to adaptive golf – in fact, his first adaptive event was the qualifying round in California that gained him entry into this championship.
After the round he talked about his journey and the steps that all competitors have to take to get their impairments confirmed by a WR4GD pass.
“It’s absolutely so special for all of us to be here,” said Carlock. “My caddie and best friend, Brock, and I found out about this a few years ago when it was at Sand Creek Station in Kansas. I had played a big college tournament there and thought, how cool is that?
“I wondered if I could get [my disability] certified, and didn’t really do it. This last fall, Brock told me I needed to get in gear. I ended up getting certified and qualified, and here we are.”
The rookie is making the most of his opportunity. He went out in 4-under 32 and recorded six birdies on the day, with his only scorecard blemish coming at No. 17, where he carded a double-bogey 6.
“The whole round was pretty solid,” said Carlock. “Only one bad swing, and that did lead to a double on 17. Had a couple missed opportunities, but better rounds I think are a little bit easier to pick apart. Two more of those, I wouldn’t complain no matter how it ends up.”
Meanwhile Popert, who has cerebral palsy, continued his stellar play in this championship by carding one eagle, three birdies and only one bogey on the day. While it wasn’t quite as low as the astounding 11-under 61 he shot in last year’s first round, he wasn’t complaining.
“Let’s be honest, I was really pleased with the round considering last year I obviously just stiffed it the whole time,” said Popert, who also celebrated his 28th birthday today. “I was managing my expectations and trying to not get ahead of myself. Trying to be patient and it worked really well.
“I battled quite well today. Holed a lot of good, nice par putts. I was really pleased with my game and excited for the next two days.”
Scoring HERE
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